As You like It
1623
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in 1623. The play follows Rosalind, who flees her uncle's court to find safety and love in the Forest of Arden, accompanied by her cousin Celia. It explores themes of love, identity, and familial conflict, particularly through the lens of sibling rivalry and the societal implications of primogeniture. Notably, the play features cross-dressing, with Rosalind disguising herself as a man, Ganymede, to navigate her romantic pursuits.
Editions
X-Ray
“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.””
— William Shakespeare
“All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.””
— William Shakespeare
“Do you not know I am a woman? when I think, I must speak.””
— William Shakespeare
“I pray you, do not fall in love with me, for I am falser than vows made in wine.””
— William Shakespeare
“Love is merely a madness; and, I tell you, deserves as well a dark house and a whip as madmen do; and the reason why they are not so punish'd and cured is that the lunacy is soordinary that the whippers are in love too.””
— William Shakespeare
“And this our life, exempt from public haunt, finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything. I would not change it.””
— William Shakespeare
“Men have died from time to time, and worms have eaten them, but not for love.””
— William Shakespeare
“Sweet are the uses of adversity,Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;And this our life, exempt from public haunt,Find tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,Sermons in stones, and good in everything.””
— William Shakespeare
“No sooner met but they looked; no sooner looked but they loved; no sooner loved but they sighed; no sooner sighed but they asked one another the reason; no sooner knew the reason but they sought the remedy; and in these degrees have they made a pair of stairs to marriage...””
— William Shakespeare
Link to this book
Add a free, dofollow link to Lex on your blog, forum, syllabus, or reading list.
<a href="https://lex-books.com/book/as-you-like-it-f994511c-a590-48ea-a985-3cdd7b305e95"><img src="https://lex-books.com/badges/read-on-lex.svg" alt="Read As You like It by William Shakespeare free on Lex" width="160" height="40"></a>[](https://lex-books.com/book/as-you-like-it-f994511c-a590-48ea-a985-3cdd7b305e95)[url=https://lex-books.com/book/as-you-like-it-f994511c-a590-48ea-a985-3cdd7b305e95][img]https://lex-books.com/badges/read-on-lex.svg[/img][/url]Read As You like It by William Shakespeare free on Lex: https://lex-books.com/book/as-you-like-it-f994511c-a590-48ea-a985-3cdd7b305e95Cite this book
Reading this edition for a paper or guide? Copy a citation.
Shakespeare, William. As You like It. Lex, lex-books.com/book/as-you-like-it-f994511c-a590-48ea-a985-3cdd7b305e95.Shakespeare, W. (1623). As You like It. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/as-you-like-it-f994511c-a590-48ea-a985-3cdd7b305e95Shakespeare, William. As You like It. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/as-you-like-it-f994511c-a590-48ea-a985-3cdd7b305e95.











































